Knockdown crate.



J. G. GREENE.

KNOOKDOWN CRATE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11, 1910,

1 ,Q88,56 5 Patented Feb. 24, 1914 Witnesses Inventor I r I I Attorneys ETED ST 'rns ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES GARNER GREENE, OF BEIR-NE, ARKANSAS.

KNOCKDOWN CRATE.

I '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, James G. Gnnrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beirne, in the county of Clark and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Knockdown Crate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to knock down crates, its object being to provide a crate of this character which is simple in construction and the parts of which may be readily assembled or taken apart.

Another object is to provide a crate which is cheap to manufacture and which is light and durable in construction.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crate with the parts assembled. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one corner portion of one of the side panels.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates a side panel made up of top and bottom strips 3 and 2, each of these strips being grooved longitudinally as indicated at at and the grooves being de signed to receive the ends of spaced slats 5 which may be secured within the grooves by means of nails or the like. The ends of the strips 2 and 3 are turned down to form cylindrical tongues 6 and, if the grooves 61 extend into these tongues they may be filled by means of strips 7 suitably secured therein as shown in Fig. 2. Although the tongues have been shown and described as cylindrical, it is to be understood that they may be of any other preferred form. The other side panel 8 of the crate is similar in all respects to the side panel 1.

Each of the end panels consists of a top strip 9 and a bottom strip 10, each strip having openings 11 in the end portions thereof for the reception of the tongues 6 heretofore described, it being understood that these openings are shaped to correspond with the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11, 1910.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Serial No. 591,857.

transverse contour of the tongues. Each of the strips 9 and 10 has a groove 12 in one face, these grooves receiving the end portions of spaced slats 13, which may be secured within the grooves by means of nails or the like. A longitudinally extending slot 141 is formed within each of the strips and cotter pins 15,'nail or other fastening de vices are to be inserted through the end portions of the strips 9 and 10 and through openings 16 formed in the tongues 6. It will be apparent that with these pins or nails 15 in place, the side and end panels will be securely held together.

The bottom panel of the crate consists of parallel slats 17 having a cross strip 18 attached to the middle portions thereof, and the ends of which are adapted to bear downwardly on the side strips 2. The ends of the slats 17 are insertible into the slots 14 formed within the strips 10 and the longitudinal displacement of the slats is prevented by means of cross strips 19 attached to the slats adjacent their ends. The end walls of the slots 14; constitute means for limiting the lateral shifting of the bottom panel after it has been inserted into the slots and there is therefore no danger of the cross strip 18 pulling off of either of the side panels on which it is mounted.

The top panel of the crate consists of slats 20 having a cross strip 21 secured to the middle portions thereof and hearing at its ends upon the strips 3 of the two panels 1 and 8. The ends of these slats 20 are insertible into the slots 14: in the upper strips 9 and cross strips 22 attached to the slats 20 serve to hold them against longitudinal displacement.

When it is desired to knock down the crate, the pins 15 are withdrawn from the strips 9 and 10, thus releasing the tongues 6. The end panels can therefore be Withdrawn from the side panels and all of the parts will thus be separated and can be tied or otherwise fastened together in a small bundle.

To set up the crate the ends of the cross strip 18 are placed upon the strips 2 and the ends of the slats 17 are inserted into the slots in strips 10. At the same time the tongues 6 are inserted into the openings 11 in strips 9 and 10 and then secured by means of the pins 15. After the crate has been filled the top panel which is made up of flexible slats 20, is buckled so as to permit the ends of the slats to be inserted into slots in upper strip 9. The ends of the cross strips 21 will therefore rest on the side strips 3 and can be secured thereto by nails or the like.

By forming slots 14: within the end panels, it becomes possible to form said panels with vertically extended slats as shown in the drawings, and at the same time use top and bottom panels the end portions of which are insertible into the end panels. The tongues extending from the side panels are arranged with their fastener receiving openings inside of the end panels when the crate is set up so that should the projecting end portions of the tongues be bro-ken off, the panels will still be securely held together by the pins.

It will be seen that the crate is very cheap to manufacture durable and efiicient and has no parts which are likely to become lost.

What is claimed is A crate the corner of which comprises a side bar and an end bar, the end bar having a groove in its upper edge and being provided with an opening located below the groove, the side bar having a reduced tongue fitting closely in the opening and being provided in its upper edge with a groove which is prolonged to form a slot in the tongue; a filler in the slot of the tongue; slats terminally engaged in the grooves; and a pin passing through the end bar and the filler and entering the tongue, the pin upstanding in the groove of the end bar in front of one of the slats therein. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atlixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES GARNER GREENE.

Witnesses:

Mason SHELDON, MARY J. MILLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

